Warriors of Equestria
by bluethunder25
Summary: EG spinoff. Long ago, Queen Celestia was reluctantly forced to banish her sister, Princess Luna, to the moon. Now, hundreds of years later, she has returned and now seeks power and revenge. The only hope for Equestria may lie in the hands of six unique teenagers from Canterlot High. With the help of a mysterious power source, they may be the only ones who can take her down.
1. Ancient Legend

_1,000 years ago, in the land of Equestria, there ruled a benevolent royal family, composed of King Radiance; his wife, Queen Midnight; their eldest daughter, Princess Celestia; and their youngest, Princess Luna. One day, an evil centaur by the name of Tirek invaded the kingdom of Canterlot. Hard as they tried, the king's forces could not topple the nearly indestructible monster. At their request, the king and queen's royal sorcerer, Starswirl The Bearded, took his two daughters and fled the castle and the king and queen stood against Tirek; ultimately, they were slain; Tirek ruled over Canterlot. A few years past; Celestia and Luna grew to become adults under the watchful eye of Starswirl. Under his training, the two became talented sorcerers. During that time, Starswirl created a magic scepter and gave it to Celestia, as she was the oldest. Celestia learned to harness the magic power of the scepter and with her training completed, she rose to challenge the mighty Tirek. After a long and fierce battle, Celestia used all the magic within the scepter to imprison Tirek within Tartarus and save all of Equestria. As the eldest, Celestia assumed the throne as Queen. However, as years went by, Luna began to feel resentment and jealousy towards her sister's somewhat superior talents. Eventually, it overtook her, consuming her until Luna was no more; there was only now; Nightmare Moon. The wicked Nightmare Moon challenged her sister. Though Celestia tried to reason with, she wouldn't listen and Celestia had no choice. With the power of the scepter, Celestia banished her sister to the moon. Queen Celestia has ruled over Equestria ever since._

* * *

Starswirl had long since retired from his duties as a royal sorcerer and pursued a career in teaching magic to young prospects at Canterlot High. Of course, being a teacher wasn't always what it was cracked up to be. What with papers to grade, endless hours, not to mention those various hard-to-teach students; but at the end of the day, it wasn't much of a burden for the time-tested sorcerer. Especially when it came to one of his brightest and most promising students; Twilight Sparkle.

To say that Twilight was a dedicated student would be like saying a full grown dragon is mildly ferocious. The young, purple skinned, teenager who made her home in Canterlot, was always the first one to answer a question in class and the first one to hand in a completed paper; including one from an assignment that Starswirl hadn't even mentioned yet. In math triathlons, she was virtually feared throughout the high school community for her lightning fast equations. There was barely enough room on the shelves for how many trophies she had won in that department.

Starswirl of course, came in early as always to get himself ready for the day. And after setting up the seats, preparing his desk, his paperwork, and such; who should he sitting front and center with an enthusiastic smile on her face than Twilight Sparkle.

"Fashionably early as usual, Twilight," Starswirl chuckled as Twilight placed an orange on his desk. "An orange?" he asked.

"Well it's just that apples are so retro, I'd though I'd try something a little different, you know, radical," said Twilight.

The young teenager rapidly placed all her homework on Starswirl's desk, as well what she referred to as 'pre homework,' work that she did just in case Starswirl was gonna give homework on it.

Starswirl twirled his long white beard merrily. Twilight was a one-in-a-million student to say the least.

* * *

Outside, in the nearby field, another individual had taken the opportunity to come out early, but her reasons were more for practice than early work.

She jetted across the field, her rainbow colored hair flowing in the wind, sweat pouring down her blue skin from the massive effort she was putting in. Her name was Rainbow Dash; captain of the Canterlot High Chargers soccer team; as well as pretty much every other sports team that the high school had to offer. Baseball, basketball, football, whatever it was, she knew how it play it, and she settled for nothing but being the best.

Accompanying her was the team goalie, who try as she might, could not keep Rainbow Dash from scoring even one goal.

"Uh...Dash, maybe we should go home now. We've been out here since 4:00 in the morning. The game isn't until next week," said the goalie.

"My philosophy is, 'practice makes awesome' and as you know, for me, it's all about being awesome, even 20% more awesome than I already am," said Rainbow before she continued kicking goals.

She kicked those soccer balls with such force, that the goalie practically couldn't see them, until she finally decided that it would be best to take a water break. But before the goalie could even make it to the water cooler, Rainbow immediately decided the break was over and resumed kicking the soccer balls.

* * *

When it came to catering for Canterlot High's events, the Apple Family was the main provider.

There was Granny Smith, the wise, green skinned, old lady; who could tell you how long a snail could hibernate; Big Macintosh, a big guy with a big heart who was a man of few words; Applebloom, the youngest of the family, a most playful and energetic girl to say the least; and the middle child, Applejack.

Though she was the middle child, Applejack was the one who kept things in order at their farm of Sweet Apple Acres. If there was a job that needed to be done at the farm, Applejack would be there in a pinch. As she used her sturdy cowgirl boots to buck the apples off of one of the thousands of trees that surrounded the farm, her freckled face beamed with delight.

"Woo! That's the last of them. Hey, Big Mac, you finished bucking the rest of your trees?" Applejack asked.

"Eeyup," Big Machintosh said.

Applebloom decided to try her hand at bucking apples off of a tree, but was immediately stopped by her sister.

"Woah, woah, woah there, sugarplum, I've told you before that applebucking is too dangerous for a little girl," said Applejack.

"I'm not a little kid! I can buck apples on my own!" said Applebloom.

"Hehe, not until those little crawlers grow a few inches," Applejack said, pointing to Applebloom's legs.

In a small huff, Applebloom went to pick up a basket of apples that had already been bucked, but was once again stopped by her older sister who grabbed the basket and stacked it on top of one she was carrying.

"Um...maybe you should let Big Mac help you with that, Applejack," Granny Smith said, seeing that Applejack was struggling.

"Eeyup," said Big Mac.

"Nah...I got this," said Applejack.

"Stubborn as a mule, that Applejack," Granny Smith.

"Most definitely," said Big Mac.

As Applejack carried the two baskets of apples into the farm, Applebloom crossed her arms in frustration. She knew she meant well, but she couldn't help but feel Applejack a just a bit too overprotective of her at times.

* * *

As the morning sun rose, the sounds of chirping birds could be heard through the woods, from blue jays, to cardinals.

A young, light yellow skinned teenage girl, with light pink hair, approached a group of the birds with a bag of bird seeds in her hand, laying some seeds across the ground for them.

"That was a wonderful performance. Though you were a little off-key-I mean, not to be rude or anything," the girl said softly, pointing to the blue jay as the birds ate the seeds.

The girl's name was Fluttershy. As her name suggested, she was rather shy and timid. She wasn't one for talking loud and being the center of attention, but she loved animals. More often than not, she could found at the nearby Canterlot Animal Shelter, helping the animals there.

One of the birds perched themselves on Fluttershy's shoulder. Fluttershy giggled as she gently stroked the bird with her finger as other animals, such as squirrels, bunnies, and deer, gathered around her.

Suddenly, a growling sound echoed through the forest. Fluttershy and the animals meekly turned around to the see a huge brown bear slowly coming towards them. The other animals scurried, the land animals hiding behind trees while the birds hid in the trees.

Fluttershy also hid behind a tree, shivering in fear.

The bear ferociously growled as it shook a tree that the squirrels were hiding in, causing them to nearly fall out.

Scared as she was, Fluttershy could not stand idly by. With resolve, she marched towards the bear and gave it a hard slap on the face, causing it to whimper.

"You should be ashamed of yourself! Picking on poor, defenseless animals like that! Especially when they're so much smaller than you! Now you apologize to them this instant!" said Fluttershy.

The bear quickly acquiesced as the other animals came out of hiding.

After the bear apologized, Fluttershy handed him a honey cake.

"Good boy," Fluttershy said, petting the bear as it enjoyed the cake.

The other animals gathered around Fluttershy again as the bear licked her on the face.

* * *

The school bell rang and the students of Canterlot High rushed in. All except for one in particular who stood outside.

She was a rather beautiful, purple haired, teenage girl. She covered her pure white skinned face from the sun.

"Oh dear. Why does it have to be so hot? This will ruin my complexion!" the girl said.

Her name was Rarity. A perfectionist at best who loved everything fashion and hated anything that could mess up her good looks.

Spotting three grey skinned, gruff-looking guys, Rarity whistled out to them, to which they immediately replied after she batted her eyelashes at them. Two of them used their big hands to cover her face from the sun, while the shortest one opened the door for her.

Rarity expressed her gratitude by petted the three boys on the head, to which they responded by tapping their feet like dogs.

"Who says boys are completely useless?" said Rarity.

Yes, indeed, Rarity was a girl who knew how to get what she wanted.

* * *

Suddenly and unexpectedly, multicolored confetti spread across the hallways, along with balloons and streamers.

The crowd stopped in their tracks as a light pink skinned girl with curly pink hair bounced around the walls with a party blower and started to sing.

 _ **Welcome students, this is your good friend, Pinkie Pie,**_

 _ **I bring news that's better than a cupcake in the eye,**_

 _ **The Chargers as you will be having a big game,**_

 _ **But having nothing else to do afterwards would be lame,**_

 _ **So join me for the after party, you don't wanna miss,**_

 _ **They'll be cake and ice cream, fun and dancing, it will all be bliss,**_

 _ **You're gonna have a good time and if you don't, I say,**_

 _ **I'LL RIP YOUR SPINE OUT OF YOUR CHEST AND TAKE YOUR TEETH AWAY!**_

The crowd froze in shock for a moment.

"Haha! Just kidding!" Pinkie said with a giggle as she handed out the invitations.

* * *

In the school cafeteria, during lunch period, Twilight was catching up on her studies for her astrology class. Meanwhile, Applejack provided apple juice for the cafeteria; and Rainbow was bouncing around her soccer ball with her fellow teammates.

Rarity looked on in disgust at the team's uniforms. "Oh! Those colors are so garish," she said.

Fluttershy was handing out flyers for the animal shelter while Pinkie was energetically figuring out how to decorate the cafeteria for the after game party.

Meanwhile, a giant stage had been set up at the far end of the cafeteria. The students, with the exception of Twilight who was too wrapped up in her book, gathered in front of the stage as two boys came out.

One was a light orange boy with short, aquamarine hair. The other was shorter with teal skin and short, brown hair. Both of them were wearing black top hats and tuxedos.

As the crowd gathered, from behind the curtain, a hand came out and knocked both Snips and Snails on the head.

This made the two remember that it was their cue as they took out two spotlights and pointed them to the center of the curtain.

Just then, a voice introduced herself.

"Ladies and gentlemen, be prepared to have your senses tingled and your imaginations broken as you witness the most incredible, spectacular, breathtaking display of magic your eyes have ever seen! Courtesy of none other than the one, the only; The Great and Powerful Trrrrrrixie!" the voice announced.

From out of the curtain, a light blue girl with white hair, wearing a blue cloak a light pink sorcerer's hat, emerged as the two boys threw confetti in the air; some of which got in her eyes.

Trixie was an aspiring magician who much like Twilight, though not as engaged in science as her, showed a great degree of talent with magic and did not hesitate to show it off.

"Uhgh, here we go with this again," Rarity said in annoyance.

"Students of Canterlot High, The Great and Powerful Trixie will now perform a magical spectacle never before performed! Using this magic saw, I will cut both my assistants, Snips and Snails, into three separate pieces!" Trixie said.

Snips and Snails applauded until they realized what Trixie had just said. But it was too late as Trixie used a levitation spell to lift them up and place them each in a separate box.

After making a saw appear of out thin air, Trixie proceeded to cut both of the boxes as she previously said, into three separate pieces.

"Oh please. That's your magic trick? Boring!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Oh ye of little faith, The Great and Powerful Trixie is always full of surprises," said Trixie.

Using her magic, Trixie took the three separate parts of Snips and Snails and started rearranging them. She used many different combinations; Snips' head, Snails body, Snips' legs; to Snails' head, Snips' body, and Snails' legs.

"Hey! I gained a few pounds!" said Snails.

"Hey!" said Snips.

Trixie gave a bow as the audience applauded. Pinkie jumped up joyfully and applauded.

"Well, I hate to admit it, but that was pretty good. She may be a showoff, but the girl's got some talent," said Applejack.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You have witnessed only a taste of the great power of The Great and Powerful Trixie! For Trixie is the most talented sorceress at Canterlot High! Nay, in all of Equestria!" Trixie boasted.

As Trixie took another bow, Snips and Snails also took a bow, which caused Trixie to fall off the stage and head first into a trash can which made the audience burst into laughter.

"HAHA! Looks like The 'Great and Powerful Trrrrrixie' is also the most disposable sorcerer at Canterlot High, nay, in all of Equestria!" Rainbow Dash snickered.

From inside the garbage can, Trixie growled in anger. "You will pay for insulting The Great and Powerful Trixie! But first; Snips, Snails; get me out of this can! I have to go to the bathroom!" Trixie said.

* * *

Horns trumpeted as two majestic, white horses carried a gold a white carriage to the entranceway of a beautiful white castle situated on the side of a mountain.

As the carriage stopped, a short, stout man with short, blond, wavy hair stood next to it as dozens of royal subjects stood on both sides of the entranceway. "Announcing, Her Royal Highness, Queen Celestia!" the man announced.

From out of the carriage stepped a beautiful woman with fair, white skin and flowing multicolored hair, wearing a gold crown and a white gown.

"Hey! That rhymed!" said Pinkie Pie.

 _Me- Wait a minute, Pinkie Pie!_

 _Pinkie- What?_

 _Me- You're not supposed to cut me off!_

 _Pinkie- I was just pointing out the rhyme you made._

 _Me- Well quit it! This is leading up to an emotional scene._

 _Pinkie- Oh! You mean where Queen Celestia stands out on the balcony and reflects on-_

 _Me- *Places duct tapes over Pinkie's mouth and tosses her back to Canterlot High* Oh, that Pinkie._

Anyway, the stout man instantly pampered the queen; dusting off her dress, straightening her crown, and dusting off her shoes before bowing on his knees.

Celestia was flattered and at the same time, felt a little awkward.

"You missed a spot!" Celestia said, looking down on her shoes. "This is unacceptable! I have half a mind to throw you in the dungeon for the rest of your miserable life! And while we're at it, shave off his head too!"

The man cried, begging for mercy from the queen who revealed that she was only messing with him. Wiping the sweat from his face, the man escorted the Queen into the palace.

* * *

Early in the night, Celestia took the time to brush her hair in front of the mirror. Unfortunately, as she looked into the mirror, a sad face reflected back at her. But this was no different from any other night, pretty much every night for the past few hundreds of years, for every night reminded her of her sister, the sister she was forced to banish to the moon; Luna.

The heartbroken queen slowly walked out to her balcony, looking up at the full moon. A small tear rolled down her cheek as she could only think and wonder how Luna was doing up there. Every night, she looked up at the night sky with regret; regret for what she had done to her sister.

"Luna, my heart aches for you, dear sister.," said Celestia.

Unbeknown to the queen, a strange formation of stars in the night began to take shape. Not realizing this, she continued.

 _I pray every night that we may meet again. I can only hope that day will come to pass_


	2. Meeting is Such Unsweet Sorrow

During her spare time after school, Twilight liked to visit Starswirl at his house.

Starswirl lived in a quaint little circular cottage near the outskirts of Canterlot. The roof of it was shaped like a sorcerer's hat.

As Twilight approached the house, smoke exploded from out of the chimney. She quickly opened the door to find Starswirl in a cloud of smoke.

"Starswirl!" Twilight shouted as she helped the sorcerer to his feet.

"Oh! Hello, Twilight," Starswirl said with a cough.

"What's going on?!" asked Twilight.

"I was working on an explosion spell," said Starswirl.

"Well what happened?" asked Twilight.

"It blew up in my face," answered Starswirl. "Anyway, here to learn some more magic?"

"Yes, please," Twilight said with enthusiasm as Starswirl wiped the dust off of his cloak.

The experienced sorcerer saw so much potential in Twilight that he ultimately decided to take her in as an apprentice. During her visits, he showed her a variety of spells for all kinds of situations. For today, he figured he'd teach his young apprentice some weather spells.

He started off with a thunderstorm spell. Waving his magic wand, he created a grey cloud filled with thunder and lightning and rain, getting himself and Twilight wet. Next, he made a hurricane spell that cause a massive burst of wind to blow through the cottage, drying the both of them off. Then, he did an earthquake spell, making the cottage rumble and Twilight fall on her butt and a cauldron fall on her head. Finally, he performed a snow storm spell and made it snow inside the cottage.

"This spell is perfect for freezing your enemies. Plus, it's good for making delicious snowballs," said Starswirl as he took some snowballs, placed them in a cone, then took some raspberry syrup and poured it over them.

He offered one to Twilight, only to find her frozen in a block of ice. Quickly, he used a heat spell to thaw her out. As Twilight shivered from the cold, Starswirl chuckled nervously as he again offered her a snow cone.

As Twilight was wrapped in a blanket to get warmer, the formation of stars in the sky was taking more shape than before; forming what appeared to be a half-circular pattern.

Once she was warm, Starswirl taught Twilight all the different spells he had showed her before. As usual, she showed extraordinary talent, mastering each spell almost perfectly.

After a while, Starswirl decided it was time for a break.

He and Twilight sat down at the table to have some of his famous oatmeal raisin cookies. Twilight always loved having them during her visits, made more evident as she scarfed half of them down.

Starswirl laughed as Twilight got crumbs all over her face.

Just then, Twilight turned her attention to a rather unique-looking telescope. It was black in color with blue stars and had a cone-shaped design. This particular telescope was special, for it was magical. It was able to see the stars in the solar system even when it was light out.

In addition to the cookies, Twilight, as a lover of astrology, loved looking through the telescope. But this time was much different. As she looked through the telescope, she couldn't help but notice the strange star formation and brought it to Starswirl's attention.

Starswirl had studied many constellations in his time, but not even he had ever seen a formation like this.

"What do you think this could mean?" asked Twilight.

"I don't know, young Twilight, but I have a strange feeling" Starswirl said.

* * *

Twilight rushed rapidly to her home, panting profusely.

Twilight lived in a nice, Tudor home. It was nestled on a hill along with a few others; its white stones perfectly complimented the brown lining. Smoke came from the chimney of the fireplace, but even the brightest fire couldn't compete with the rush of adrenaline that Twilight was having.

Inside her home, a young preteen boy with purple skin, green hair, and wearing a tan shirt, black jeans, and white sneaker; had just gotten inside and closed the door with her feet, for he was carrying a large basket filled with laundry.

"After hours of washing, drying, pressing, and fabricating; I finally got the laundry done," said the boy when suddenly, he was knocked out by the door, that was suddenly opened by Twilight.

"Spike?! Spike!" Twilight shouted to the boy, discovering him covered in laundry.

She quickly grabbed him and brought him up to her room which was almost enough to make a librarian and an astrologer jealous. posters of constellations on the ceiling overlooked massive shelves of books that lined the walls. At the far end was a telescope that stuck out of her window.

Shoving Spike onto the bed, Twilight frantically browsed through her assortment of books.

Spike was Twilight's adoptive brother. He was in his last year at Canterlot Middle School and was like a subservient butler to Twilight and her family, but of his own free will.

"What's the rush, Twilight?" asked Spike.

"Well, I was studying magic with Starswirl," Twilight started.

"As usual..." Spike finished.

"And I found something big, something huge, something MASSIVE!" Twilight exclaimed.

She explained to Spike about her discovery of the strange star alignment.

"So, you think it means something?" Spike asked.

"I'm not really sure, Spike. I know lots of constellations and plenty about the solar system, but this is a first for me. *GASP!* Maybe it's a newly forming constellation! Do you know what this could mean?!" exclaimed Twilight.

"No..." Spike said.

"I could be on the verge of making a groundbreaking, astrological discovery! I could be famous! Imagine if the queen found out! She'd have me put on magazines, maybe even on the back of dictionaries! Maybe she'll even name the constellation after me! 'Twilight Minor' no, that doesn't sound good. Oooo! I got it, 'Twilight Major' much better!" exclaimed Twilight.

"Don't you think you're getting a little overexcited?" asked Spike.

However, Twilight had too many stars in her eyes to even hear what Spike was saying.

* * *

The next day at school, Twilight still had her mind wrapped around the constellation; even reading a book about astrology while heading to class. Suddenly, she was greeted by a party blower in her face.

It was Pinkie Pie who held up a poster that had a picture of a soccer ball with a lightning bolt drawn on it. "Hi there! Be sure to come to come to the after game party after the Chargers game!" she said before blowing the party blower in Twilight's face again.

"Uh...sorry. I'm not really one for parties. Besides, I've got more important things on my plate right now," said Twilight.

"I don't see a plate, that looks more like a book to me!" said Pinkie.

"It...is a book...on astrology," said Twilight as she continued walking with Pinkie following.

"Astrology?! WOW!...I don't know what that is..." said Pinkie.

"Seriously?! It's only the most spectacular, terrific, subject in all of school! Well, aside from science and magic, that is," said Twilight. "You learn about stars and planets and the solar system-"

"Ooo! Even Uranus?!" said Pinkie.

"Yes!" exclaimed Twilight.

"Did you Uranus is actually a planet?" asked Pinkie.

"...yes..." Twilight answered.

"I'm Pinkie Pie," Pinkie said.

Before Twilight could introduce herself, Pinkie cut her off, saying her name instantly.

"How did you know my name?" asked Twilight.

"Duh, everyone knows you, you're like the smartest kid in school! I saw you once in that mathletes competition; you were super awesome! Even though I couldn't figure out half or any of what was going on. Sometimes I ask myself, 'just how big is that girl's brain?! Does it ever pop out of her head?! Maybe she's some sort of alien!" said Pinkie.

* * *

As usual, Rainbow Dash was hard at work, practicing for the upcoming soccer game and as usual, she was making goal after goal after goal. However, Dash got a little overexcited and over kicked the ball in a northeast direction.

Applejack had an apple cart with her filled with an assortment of apple based food items; from pies, to brown betties, fritters and tarts. She sometimes took the cart to sell her items around school to help with business at Sweet Apple Acres and she had sold a good number of items already.

"There ya go, twelve apple muffins. Nice doin' business with ya," Applejack said.

A girl with grey skin, yellow hair, and derpish eyes walked off with the basket of muffins.

Business was goin pretty well as usual, that is until Applejack caught eye of something in the sky. It was in fact, Rainbow Dash's soccer ball which fell at high speed, smashing right into the apple cart.

"What in tarnation!?" Applejack said as she picked up the ball.

Angry at what had happened to her cart, Applejack stormed over to the field to confront Rainbow Dash.

As she practiced, Dash noticed Applejack coming toward her with the ball. "Oh! Thanks. I was wondering where that went," she said, taking the ball from Applejack.

"Excuse me! Your dern soccer ball messed up my apple cart!" said Applejack.

"Well...your apple cart was in the way of my soccer ball!" Dash said in retaliation.

"That doesn't make any sense!" said Applejack.

"Maybe not to you, but anyway, I need to keep practicing. It's not my fault your stupid cart got in the way. I wouldn't expect a cowgirl like you to understand the fundamentals of soccer," said Dash.

Applejack gasped at Rainbow Dash's comment. "I'll have you know I have the strongest, apple buckin' feet on the farm. I could kick a soccer ball easily," she said.

"Oh yeah, prove it!" Dash said. "Pick up game, first to ten points wins!"

"You're on!" said Applejack.

Dahs placed the soccer ball on the ground and the two began. Dash started off in control of the ball with Applejack close behind. Applejack tried to slide in, but Dash moved to the side and scored the first goal.

Dash got control of the ball again and it looked like it was gonna be 2 to nothing, but then Applejack baseball slid in and got the ball, then scored to tie things up.

In the next round, Dash confused Applejack with some fancy footwork, kicking the ball from one foot to another until she kicked it up in the air over her and scored, putting her back in the lead.

In the next round, Dash guarded the goal as Applejack charged in. Using all her strength, Applejack kicked the ball towards the goal, making it hit Dash right in the face and get the score. Applejack laughed at Dash's face turned red from the shot with the ball.

Dash came back in the next round and kicked a hard shot to the goal. Applejack tried to block it, but the ball ended up hitting her with such force that she and ball hit the goal. Dash laughed.

The rest of the game was a back and forth contest with neither able to get the drop on the other. Rainbow Dash was surprised that Applejack was able to keep up with her.

* * *

Rarity credited herself as being a fashionista, which meant she had to do her best to look fabulous, no matter what the occasion was. The same was no different when it came to the Chargers after party. Even though she wasn't much for parties, she saw it as a great opportunity to showcase herself in front of a huge crowd. Being an aspiring fashion designer, this was the perfect chance for her to create someone marvelous and one-of-a-kind; and she could do it at school. All she needed was someone to model for her.

However, it proved to be easier said than done as virtually none of the female students seemed to fit her taste.

Some were too fat, some were too skinny, she took a look at the grey skinned girl and thought she was too, 'derpish.'

There didn't seem to be anyone that caught her interest, that is until she turned to see Fluttershy handing out flyers for the animal shelter. Everything about her from top to bottom impressed her. From her long, luscious light pink hair, to her perfect body and posture; yes indeed, in Fluttershy, Rarity saw the perfect choice to be her model and wasted no time in rushing over to her.

"YOU!" Rarity shouted in Fluttershy's face.

"M-me?" Fluttershy asked.

"I need someone to model a dress I'm making for the after party and you are just perfect! What is your name?" Rarity asked.

"I'm uh...Fliahghkshuu..." said Fluttershy.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Rarity asked.

"I'm...I'm Flosdfteoshy..." Fluttershy said.

"I'm sorry, I'm not making you out," said Rarity.

"...fluttoushiiiwee..." said Fluttershy.

"Hmmm, well, it doesn't matter! Come with me!" Rarity said, grabbing Fluttershy by her arm.

"Um...ok...I guess..." Fluttershy said before Rarity dragged her off.

* * *

Elsewhere, in the hallway, Pinkie Pie was still going on about Twilight who by this point had left her. She called out to her, but she didn't answer. When she passed by a series of lockers, Twilight emerged from one of them, letting out a sigh of relief as Pinkie turned a corner.

"Nice girl, but she talks way too much," Twilight said.

But as she turned around, who should be in front of her but Pinkie Pie, much to her shock. She continued on talking about Twilight, much to her chagrin. Twilight needed to figure out a way to get rid of her. She suggested that Pinkie should continue telling students about the after party. Pinkie agreed and rushed off to do so.

So with that out of the way, Twilight continued reading her book.

* * *

Meanwhile, a bunch of the Canterlot High girls were gathered around a young tan man with spiky blue hair, carrying a red and white guitar.

"Oh please, please play one for us, Flash!" said one girl.

"I LOVE YOU, FLASH!" another girl said before she fainted.

"Alright, alright, but just one," said the boy.

Flash Sentry. He was practically the coolest kid at Canterlot High. He had his own band named, 'The Stallions,' where he was the lead singer and guitarist. You could barely name a single girl at Canterlot who wasn't enamored with him.

This situation was no different as the girls' attention was focused on Flash as he began playing his guitar. Every melodious, rockin' tune he played caused them to melt like popsicles in July. After he finished, they exploded and screamed, surrounding him.

Flash took a bow, thanking the girls, before he was about to head off, after he turned, he bumped into another girl, but one who was not so enamored wit him, as she was too busy with her head stuck in a book; Twilight Sparkle.

Flash hadn't really seen much of Twilight around Canterlot High. Twilight was basically always busy with her studies while he was busy with his band. Based on this, the two never had much contact. This was the first time, Flash really got the chance to see her up close and personal.

Upon glancing at her, a feeling came upon Flash that he had never felt before. At that moment, his feet felt wobbly as if they had fallen asleep; sweat poured down his face; it felt as though he had a frog in his throat, but he found it difficult to swallow it down; and his heart was steadily beating faster and faster and faster.

The other girls looked on with intense jealousy as Flash and Twilight looked into each other's eyes.

"Uh...thanks," Twilight said.

"Uh...umm...burshmintheifnfthesisthethsdifg," Flash responded.

Flash had no problem talking to any other girl, but for some reason, when it came to this particular girl, he could barely get even the smallest word out.

"Um...you can let go of me now," Twilight said.

Flash quickly let go of Twilight, still unable to speak to her, deciding to leave as to keep the moment from being any more awkward than it already was. What didn't help was that in his state, he failed to notice the janitor who had just mopped the floor, causing himself to slip and land head first into the bucket. As he tried to get it off, he ended up covered in water, then slipped again on the floor, landing on his back and sliding into the janitor's closet.

"Odd guy," said Twilight.

As the other girls rushed over to see if Flash was ok, Twilight walked off and continued with her reading.

* * *

After Rarity nearly suffocated Fluttershy with a corset, she had her try on various outfits along with some makeup.

"Too much blush...not enough blush...too much blush...not enough blush..." said Rarity.

Fluttershy grew a tad annoyed with Rarity's inability to make up her mind.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Applejack's game continued with the score tied at 9 a piece. It would all come down to this.

Rainbow started off with control of the ball, but Applejack quickly took it from her. Rainbow Dash went in for a slide, but Applejack, kicked up the ball onto her head and head butted it forward. This didn't discourage Rainbow as she caught up again with Applejack and took the ball from her.

The two exchanged the ball back and forth for a good number of minutes. Eventually, Rainbow again took control of the ball. Thinking ahead, Applejack ran towards the goal and set herself up for Dash who charged in. Using all her might, Dash kicked the ball towards the goal, but Applejack just barely was able to keep it from getting in by the tip of her fingers. With the ball in her possession, she proceeded to make her way to the goal with Dash close behind. Fatigue was started catch with Dash as it was getting harder for her to keep up, but she kept going.

Applejack was closer and closer to the goal, it looked as if victory was in her reach. She pulled her leg back and prepared to kick the ball when suddenly, Rainbow Dash tripped her, making her fall on her face, allowing her to take back the ball and score the winning goal.

"Haha! I win! I win!," Dash exclaimed.

Applejack stormed towards her, rubbing the grass off her face. "That's not fair! You cheated!" she said.

"I didn't cheat!" Dash said in retaliation.

"Yes you did! You tripped me!" said Applejack.

"Sounds like a case of sour grapes to me, or in your case 'sour apples," said Rainbow Dash.

"Oh yeah, well I want a rematch!" said Applejack.

"Anytime, anyplace!" said Rainbow Dash.

"How bout right here, tonight?" said Applejack.

"You got it!" Rainbow Dash said.

The two shared a spit handshake in agreement before eying each other intently.

* * *

Later on in the night, the strange constellation took more form as the half circle grew larger, forming over the moon. When the last star came into alignment, a bright green light appeared around the planets and shot onto the moon, directed towards what looked like a small, egg-shaped dome. As the light covered the dome, a silhouette began to move from inside.

For many, many years, this figure had been locked away, in stasis, an eternal sleep, here on the moon. Her powers drained no escape, no way out. But as the green light surrounded her, a sensation was felt through her body; it was the power that she once had. Her eyes glowed white as she awoke, she could feel her strength returning. The egg dome started to crack as the figure gradually powered her way out.

After so many years of being locked away, she could feel freedom within her grasp.

Finally, the dome exploded as the figure emerged.

Many thought this day would never come. They had hope and prayed that it wouldn't come to pass. But alas, there she stood; long black cape, dark crown, and a wicked smile that read only the most cold and callous emotion that one could feel.

She had returned, she was freed, and soon, all of Equestria would once again feel her wrath.

With a wicked laugh, she stared down upon Earth with only one thing one her mind, vengeance. And if it was the last thing she did, she would have it. In only a matter of moments, Equestria would feel the wrath of darkness, the wrath of eternal night, the wrath of Nightmare Moon.


	3. Sisters Reunite

Later that night, Twilight grabbed her things and anxiously rushed to Starswirl's cottage, telling Spike to look after their parents while she was gone. She was excited because in addition to learning new spells, she wanted to tell Starswirl about the strange beam from the constellation that had hit the moon.

On her way, she bumped into Trixie coming out of a magic shop where she was shopping for supplies; all the while, making Snips and Snails carry the bags.

"Excuse me, but when The Great and Powerful Trixie is walking, you should look where you're going!" said Trixie.

"Me?! You're the one who bumped into me!" said Twilight.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Trixie asked disingenuously.

"I am off to see Starswirl, thank you very much, Trixie," Twilight said.

Trixie growled in anger. "I don't understand why Starswirl wastes his time with you, when it could be better spent with The Great and Powerful Trixie!" she said.

In a huff, Trixie ordered Snips and Snails to leave with the bags, then stormed off with them, but not before swearing to Twilight that she would show Starswirl why she should be his apprentice and not her.

Twilight thought nothing of it and continued on her way.

Eventually, she made it to the cottage. Upon opening the door, she discovered Starswirl peering through his telescope at the constellation.

"Hey, Starswirl!" Twilight shouted.

This caused the old wizard to jump, making the telescope hit him on the head. Rubbing his head, he looked up to see his student. "Oh, hello, Twilight," he said.

"Sorry about that," Twilight said as she helped up her mentor.

"Oh, think nothing of it. They say it's a good idea for a person to get some sense knocked into them. Maybe the bump on my head will improve my intelligence. I sure could use it for my explosion spell," said Starswirl.

Twilight really wanted to tell Starswirl about the beam from the constellation, but the mention of it seemed to make him uneasy, though Twilight failed to notice until he passed her.

"Starswirl? Is something wrong?" Twilight asked.

Deep in thought, Starswirl paced and paced, eventually not even noticing or even hearing Twilight until she called him again even louder. "Huh?! Oh, nothing, nothing at all," he said, trying to maintain a level of subtlety in his voice. "So, how bout some spells, huh?!"

"Great!" answered Twilight.

Though she was a bit concerned, she quickly brushed it off, thinking that Starswirl was probably just worrying about that old explosion spell and the two preceded with their usual session.

* * *

Back at Canterlot High, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood alone on an empty field ready for their rematch.

"Hope you're ready to get your butt kicked again," said Rainbow Dash.

"You won't trip me up like last time," said Applejack.

At Rainbow's command, the goalie, turned on the lights and the game was underway.

"By the way, did you notice that odd lookin' green light up in the sky?" Applejack asked.

"Actually...no," Rainbow Dash answered as she kicked the ball with her knees.

* * *

As usual, Queen Celestia looked out at the moon from her balcony. Even though it caused her great pain, she couldn't keep herself from doing so, for the moon was the closest thing to her sister she had. But somewhere, inside her grief, she had faith that someday, she and her would be reunited.

Little did she know, that day would come much sooner than she expected.

Throughout the halls of the castle, unconscious bodies lay on the floor; one by one, they fell.

As Celestia prepared for bed, a loud knocking was heard from her door. It was one of her royal guard in a rather disheveled state. "Your Majesty! A woman in a black cloak is attacking the palace!" he said.

The queen wasn't sure what was going, but whatever this threat was, she had to deal with it immediately. Rushing to her closet, she grabbed a set of golden armor and a long sword. After placing the armor on herself, she hurried out of her room to confront the terror that had entered her castle, following the path of beaten soldiers until it lead her to the castle courtyard, where Nightmare Moon stood before a pile of broken and beaten soldiers.

"Hello, Celestia," Nightmare moon hissed coarsely.

After all these years, her prayers had been answered, her sister had returned, but unfortunately, it was not the way she envisioned it. As Nightmare Moon stood before her, her eyes filled with subtle rage pierced through her. In some ways, the queen was a little scared, but she stood firm.

"Luna," Celestia said, hoping that saying her true name would at least attempt to bring back her sister.

But all it did was anger the dark queen further. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" she said.

"Yes, over a thousand years," Celestia answered.

"Yes, and in that, while you have been busy ruling over Equestria, I have been stuck in a lowly prison! But of course, you couldn't keep me locked up forever. It was actually quite shocking to me that I was able to get out until I realized my powers over the moon and space. While I was locked on that moon, I thought I was powerless for centuries. I tried gathering as much power from the moon as I could, but I just couldn't break free. But as the years rolled on, I discovered, I had a unique power over the constellations; I discovered I could actually move planets! In my state, I crafted my technique until eventually, I was able to form the perfect constellation to set me free. I was more powerful than ever before and at last, I was free! And now, we have some unfinished business, dear sister," said Nightmare Moon.

"I didn't want to fight you then, I do not want to fight you now, Luna," said Celestia.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! I AM NIGHTMARE MOON! AND I AM THE TRUE RULER OF EQUESTRIA! Starswirl chose wrong! It should've been me, not you, who defeated Tirek; me, not you, who ascended to the throne of Equestria! It is my right, not yours! And now, I will take my rightful place on the throne, where I belong!" shouted Nightmare Moon.

"We were meant to rule Equestria together, sister!" said Celestia.

But Nightmare Moon would not listen. Using her magic, she created a dark sword, pointing it towards her sister. "I have been waiting over a thousand years for this and I will not be denied my destiny," she said.

This was not the first time Celestia had seen this look in her sister's eyes, she had seen it many, many years ago, when Nightmare Moon first challenged her and she felt the same sorrow as she did before. In Nightmare Moon's eyes, there was nothing but absolution; it either her or Celestia.

As she pulled out her sword, the same look of absolution fell on her face. For the sake of Equestria, she had to do what she must and if that meant taking down her sister again, then that pain would just have to be hers to bear again.

The two sisters stared each other down, sword to sword. It was either one's move, but both were cautious. Finally, both Celestia and Nightmare Moon jumped up in the air and clashed at each other with their swords. For the first couple of minutes they were engaged in an evenly matched swordfight. Celestia jumped over Nightmare Moon and tried to get her from behind, but Nightmare got her with kick and then charged her into the wall. But then Celestia used both her feet to kick her back. Nightmare fired a dark blast at her, but she dodged it and got her with another kick that sent her flipping into the air, but she landed on her feet. The two jumped in the air again, engaged in a mid-air sword fight until they landed on one of the castle roofs where they continued it. Nightmare tripped up Celestia, making fall to the side the roof. Nightmare charged after her and tried to knock her off the roof, but Celestia jumped off instead, throwing a fireball at her in mid-air; Nightmare however dodged it. When she went to chase after Celestia, she discovered she wasn't there, only to find her try to come from behind with a sneak attack, but she avoided it. Celestia changed up her offense by firing a series of fireballs at her which Nightmare deflected with her sword. One fireball formed a hole in the roof, which Nightmare decided to go through with Celestia close behind into the dining hall. But as soon as her feet hit the floor, Nightmare blasted her dark energy, sending her flying into the dining table. As she way down, Nightmare grabbed her by the throat and launched her through the door into the hallways. As Nightmare charged at her, Celestia fired fire at her, stopping her in her track and allowing her to get back to her feet. She threw another shot at her, but Nightmare blocked it with a dark shield, then used the shield to push her back through a wall. Nightmare then pinned her to the ground with a double stomp, followed by another. She went for a third one, but Celestia rolled out of the way and the two were engaged in another sword fight. With their free hands, they both fired a blast at one another with neither one being able to get the drop on the other. Eventually, both blasts exploded, sending both of them back.

At the moment, they were at a stalemate. Up close and personal, Celestia had experienced just much talent her sister really had, just as she did over a thousand years ago. There was no doubt that she felt that maybe Starswirl did fail to recognize her sister's talents and maybe she herself failed to make Starswirl see it as well.

Just, the two princesses powered up their swords and continued with the fight. Each hit with their swords caused a massive shockwave that caused the walls of the castle to nearly crumble. However, Celestia could feel that Nightmare's blows were stronger; so much so that eventually, she had broken her sword. Taking advantage, Nightmare landed a kick to the gut on her and then slashed at her arm with her sword.

Celestia held her arm in pain, nearly on one knee. The power behind her sister's strike was immense, but she couldn't let it get to her.

As Nightmare went for the finishing blow, Celestia kicked her sword out of her hand and then fired a burst of flames at her. With her groggy, Celestia then grabbed her by the arm and flung her into the ballroom.

At this point, the fight was turned into hand-to-hand contest. Celestia and Nightmare Moon attacked each with various magical attacks. As Celestia charged at her, Nightmare fired a blast of dark energy, but Celestia dodged it. She then fired a series of fireballs at Nightmare who dodged every one of them and then countered with projectiles of her own. Celestia used a firewall as a shield, then turned it into a fireball and fired it at her, sending her flying into the wall. Nightmare fired a blast, but Celestia jumped over it and fired at her in mid-air. Using her dark magic, Nightmare freed herself from the fire, then made a dark hand appear and used to to grab Celestia and slam her to the ground multiple times before slamming her into the wall. With her down, Nightmare fired another blast of dark energy at her, but Celestia dodged it and went for a punch, but Nightmare dodged it, grabbed her by the arm and flung her in the air, juggling her a few times with some kicks and then using a pair of dark hands to grab her and slam her hard into the ground. She tried to finish her off with a dark slash of energy, but Celestia just got out of the way and got her with a spinning kick, followed by a series of punches, then a blast of fire. But Nightmare retaliated by summoning an army of dark skeletons with swords and sending them after her. The skeletons wailed away at Celestia; two of them managing to get her in the arm and leg. Celestia took two out with a fireball. One tried to slash at her head, but she blocked it and took it out with a double kick. One managed to cut through her body armor and went for the attack but Celestia blocked and took one out who was coming after her, then it with a hard punch. She then took out the rest with a giant blast of fire.

With the soldiers taken care of, Celestia could now focus on her sister. But she was nowhere to be found. It was as if she had suddenly disappeared. Still, she knew she had to keep her guard up, for Nightmare Moon could strike at any moment. And in fact, she did, as suddenly, a dark circle formed under her and from out that circle, Nightmare Moon grabbed her and flung into the air, causing her to hit the ceiling hard. Nightmare then went for a dark blast, but Celestia quickly countered it in mid-air with a blast of fire. However, Nightmare's dark blast overpowered Celestia's attack, knocking her onto the ground. Nightmare then summoned an army of dark spikes from the ground towards her. Seeing them, Celestia quickly tried her best to evade them as they kept coming. She tried to destroy them with her fire, but it was in vain, so she tried to lead the spikes back to Nightmare, but the dark queen was too smart and immediately stopped them. As she did, Celestia did a cartwheel, forming a ring of fire and landed a hit on Nightmare. She hoped to land another hit, but Nightmare caught with a dark hand and used two more to wail on her with a series of punches. But Celestia broke herself free by firing a blast of fire at Nightmare. However as she went in for the attack, Nightmare repelled her with a blast of dark energy.

Celestia breathed heavily from exhaustion. This was not like the last time she and her sister had battled. Sure, it wasn't easy, but at least she and her were evenly matched. As the fight went on, it was becoming more and more clear that Nightmare Moon's power had increased exponentially. But she couldn't give up, not now. She had to keep her kingdom safe. As Nightmare Moon approached her, she went for a series of punches, but Nightmare formed her barrier, keeping herself protected.

Nightmare cackled. "My powers are drawn from the moon. With ever bit of the moon rays I absorb, I grow stronger and stronger," she said as she gave her sister a hard kick in the head.

A dark aura formed around Nightmare Moon as she stood before the weakened Celestia. As hard she tried, it didn't seem like there was much more of a fight she could put up.

Sensing the end, Celestia realized there was but one option left. Using what power she had left, she summoned to her the very scepter that she had used to imprison Nightmare Moon centuries ago.

"I was hoping I would never have to use this again, but I'm afraid I must," Celestia said as she pointed the scepter at her sister.

"Haha! That thing won't work on me again!" said Nightmare Moon.

Celestia fired a beam from the scepter towards Nightmare, engulfing her in a magic barrier just as before. For a while, it seemed that it was working, but as Nightmare had stated before, she drew her very powers from the moon and with the added power from its rays, she was able to break herself free from the scepter's magical grasp.

Celestia's eyes widened with shock as Nightmare Moon hovered above her; cackling and gloating in her triumph, conjuring a massive ball of dark energy. After centuries of imprisonment, on this night, Nightmare Moon would have her revenge.

The wounded Celestia lay on the floor of her ballroom, weakened, injured, unable to fight back as Nightmare Moon aimed the ball at her. "Don't do this," she said.

"I must...there is no CHOICE!" Nightmare shouted as she fired the ball of energy at Celestia.

A wicked laugh and smile crossed Nightmare Moon's lips as she saw the cloud of smoke appear where Celestia stood.

However, when the smoke cleared, what should've been the dead remains of her sister turned out to be the glaring face of her former mentor standing in front of Celestia; Starswirl the Bearded.

"Well isn't this a pleasant turn of events. Not only do I get to destroy my sister, but also the great Starswirl the Bearded. Now you will see why I was meant to wield the power that you gave my sister!" Nightmare Moon shouted as she fired a dark blast at the two.

Starswirl quickly created a blue magic barrier, protecting himself and Celestia, and taking advantage of the situation, teleported away.

When the smoke cleared, Nightmare Moon found both of them gone. While at first she as furious, she figured neither of them would pose much of a threat to her if they were to meet again. On this night, victory belonged to the dark queen of the moon and with her victory, she relished in the spoils. Using her magic, she transformed the castle to better suits her tastes.

Ugly gargoyles stood near the arches of the outside castle walls; tall black spires rose, nearly touching the sky; and every guard became subservient to Nightmare as she put them under her control.

But of course, this was only the first step in her conquest. For her to truly rule in Equestria, she would have to spread her power far beyond the castle. And with an army of soldiers under her control, it was only a matter of time before all of Equestria would know the name of Nightmare Moon.

* * *

Twilight had since gone home by the time Starswirl along with Celestia had returned. Upon arriving home, he placed her in bed and prepared an herbal remedy to heal her injuries.

"I...I'm sorry, my old master, I couldn't stop her," said Celestia.

"Don't blame yourself, my child. Nightmare Moon's power has increased greatly since the last time you two fought," said Starswirl.

The old wizard created a mixture of herbs and berries, along with some magic, and gave it to Celestia to drink. The queen could feel her injuries slowly healing, however, the emotional pain was not so easily remedied.

As it stood, Nightmare Moon was now in control of the castle and soon, her plans to take over Equestria would come to fruition. And if even at her best, Celestia couldn't take her down, who could possibly have the power to do so?


	4. Quality Time

As dawn approached, though not a significantly large amount, Nightmare Moon felt her power decreasing. Since she drew power from the moon, it was at night where she was most powerful. She had to figure out a way to keep that power permanently. What she needed was some powerful magic, and the one place, or in this case, person, where she could find it was her old mentor, Starswirl the Bearded. And from that, her thoughts came to the scepter. Though she had managed to best it, the scepter could be useful for her own ends. The only problem was that it was currently in the possession of her sister and Starswirl. But that did not deter her. At her command, she sent out a number of her controlled soldiers to go out and find Starswirl and Celestia. One way or another, she would get that scepter and the ultimate power would be hers.

* * *

During lunch in the cafeteria, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were steadily arguing about their soccer game.

"I'm tellin' you, I won , fair and square!" said Applejack.

"Fair and square?! Ha! My...legs just fell asleep is all," said Rainbow Dash.

Meanwhile, Rarity was desperately looking for Fluttershy, eager to have her try model her newest outfit.

"Fluttershy! Darling, where are you?!" she shouted.

Unknown to her, Fluttershy was in fact hiding under a lunch table that she passed by. As soon as she left, Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief as she did not want to go through another painful modeling session. As she got up, she bumped into Applejack who came to sit at the table.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, no, it's alright. I'm fine," said Applejack.

"Are you sure?! I'm so sorry! I'm such a clutz!" said Fluttershy

"Really, it's ok, partner," said Applejack. "Hey, wait a minute! Aren't you that girl who hangs out at the Animal Shelter?"

"Yes, did I do something wrong?" asked Fluttershy.

"Hehe, quite the contrary, you helped my dog, Winona that time she got the flu," said Applejack before she introduced herself.

Fluttershy was about to introduce herself as well, but Applejack automatically knew what it was as she had previously read it on her identification card. From there, the two had a little talk about animals as Applejack was known to interact with farm animals such as horses, pigs, and goats and such.

Meanwhile as usual, Twilight had her eyes deep within a book, only this time, she had a rather concerned look on her face. Usually, when she came in to class early, Starswirl was there, but on this day, he wasn't. Instead they had a substitute. The substitute said he called in sick, but Twilight was still suspicious since he had never called in sick before. A thousand and one assumptions crawled around in her head, but she ultimately decided that maybe she overreacting a bit and went back to her book. She had her eye on a particular page; one that showed a levitation spell. For this, Twilight had brought out her magic wand and pointed it to her lunch tray.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered her thoughts and focused all of her energy onto the lunch tray as Trixie looked on from another table, not impressed.

"Bah! Look at her. Doesn't she realize that no amount of magic she does will even compare to the MARVELOUS and EXQUISITE magic of the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie?!" she said.

As Trixie looked on, she snapped her fingers, calling forth Snips and Snails. Snips filed her nails while Snails brushed her hair.

"No one even comes close to you, oh great and powerful Trixie!" said Snips.

"Yeah, no one!" said Snails.

Trixie snickered as she watched Twilight attempt to master the spell.

At first, she was able to lift it a couple inches off the table, but she made sure to be careful and keep her concentration.

One who was impressed however was Flash Sentry who looked on from across the cafeteria while his two friends; a purple skinned guy with black and white hair named Ringo; and a tanned skinned guy with aqua hair named Brawly Beats; were talking about performing at the Chargers after party.

"I've been practicing for endless hours and I must say my riffs are quite riveting," said Ringo.

"And I can't wait to show my stuff with my mad drumstick skills!" said Brawly.

Ringo turned to ask Flash what he thought of his playing.

"Beautiful. Just beautiful," Flash responded.

Ringo was flattered by Flash's words, not knowing that he was actually talking about Twilight.

"So lovely," Flash continued.

"Oh, you are too kind," Ringo said.

"And such beautiful purple skin," Flash said.

"OK, now I'm just a little bit creeped out," Ringo said.

Brawly was more offended because Flash didn't compliment him on his skin.

The two friends turned to see Flash admiring Twilight from afar.

"Oh, I see..." Ringo said.

"I do not!" Flash responded.

"Do not what?" Ringo teasingly asked.

"I don't have a crush on that...beautiful girl sitting over there. With her pretty eyes and pretty hair and pretty shoes...*clears throat* like I said, I DO NOT have a crush on her," Flash said.

"Yeah, Ringo, he couldn't have made it any more obvious!" said Brawly.

Ringo facepalmed at Brawly before turning back to Flash. "Is she another one of your adoring fans?" he asked.

"No, she didn't even seemed to know who I was," said Flash.

Ringo suggested that Flash go over and talk to Twilight, but Flash quickly rejected that idea, bringing up the fact that he couldn't even get one word in when he first saw her. He didn't want to run the risk of making himself look like a fool in front of her again. Just then, he grabbed his guitar and turned to his two bandmates.

"Hey, guys, I just started writing lyrics to this new song! Tell me what you think," said Flash before he started playing. "Oh, purple girl! You make my heart twirl! Oh, purple girl! You're as pretty as cheese curls!"

Flash stopped playing as he saw Ringo and Brawly's faces frozen with shock.

"Oh...I see...they're really that good, huh?!" Flash exclaimed.

Ringo and Brawly didn't respond, they just fainted.

Twilight continued trying to master her spell. She lifted the tray higher until it was above her head, smiling at her accomplishment; though, Trixie was still not impressed."I got it! I got it!" Twilight exclaimed.

Twilight was so excited that she failed to noticed a white skinned girl with short hair in two shades of blue, wearing purple glasses and a pair of headphones until she bumped into her, breaking her concentration. This caused the lunch tray to fly out of control, much to Trixie's delight.

"You should really focus when using magic, Twilight! How embarrassing!" Trixie said with snarky sarcasm.

Snips and Snails nodded in agreement.

Hard as she tried, Twilight couldn't concentrate enough to regain control of the tray. Eventually, it went soaring across the cafeteria, nearly hitting a number of students until it eventually hit Trixie from behind on the head, covering her in lunch food.

The other students chuckled as Snips and Snails try to wipe the mess of off Trixie.

Embarrassed beyond all belief, Trixie turned to Twilight in anger, pushing aside Snips and Snails and stormed towards Twilight. "You did that on purpose!" she shouted.

"I did not! It was an accident!" Twilight said in retaliation.

Trixie pulled out her magic wand, pointed it at Twilight, and fired a beam of magic at her, turning her into a goat. Twilight turned herself back to normal and, wanting payback, took her wand and gave Trixie a mustache.

Snips and Snails snickered, but quickly stopped when Trixie turned to them.

After making a pair of scissors appear and cutting off her mustache, Trixie and Twilight stared each other down. The other students watched with uncertainty as to what would happen next while the grey skinned girl just looked, 'derpish.'

Not wanting to be outdone, Trixie took her wand and made a swarm of bees appear that surrounded Twilight's face and stung her multiple times.

But Twilight would not take that lying down as conquered up she gave Trixie a clown face.

Trixie retaliated by making Twilight's nose twice as long.

Then Twilight covered Trixie in yellow polka dots.

To which Trixie responded by making Twilight's tongue go to the floor.

Twilight responded back by making Trixie's butt gigantic.

Pinkie was just enjoying the show with a bag of popcorn.

However the 'show' was ended when Starswirl's substitute came in and stopped Twilight and Trixie dead in their tracks with a spell.

She was a grey skinned woman with short, white, wavy hair. She was known as Magic Twinkle.

"Girls! I'm surprised at you! No magic in the cafeteria! Do this again and both of you will be sent to the principle's office! Understand?!" she said.

"Yes, Magic Twinkle," Trixie and Twilight said.

Magic Twinkle released both of them from the spell and walked off.

Twilight and Trixie eyed each before going back to their tables where Twilight was soon approached by Rainbow Dash who gave her a hard pat on the back.

"Hey! Nice job showing up that stuck up braggard, Trixie," said Rainbow Dash.

"It wasn't really my intention to show up anyone," said Twilight.

"Eh, whatever, it was still awesome. Not as awesome as me, but still pretty awesome. Like 20% less awesome than me, I'd say," said Rainbow Dash.

"Well someone sure has a high opinion of herself," said Twilight.

* * *

The herbal remedies that Starswirl prepared did a good job of healing up Celestia, but not even the best medicine in the world could cure the queen of her shame and heartbreak.

The only thought that crept through her mind was that of her sister and her inability to help her. Even worse was that it was only a matter of time before she took over all of Equestria.

"What am I going to do, master?!" Celestia shouted in frustration.

"Don't trouble your mind about the affair, Celestia." said Starswirl.

"But why shouldn't I?! As we speak, Luna is most likely about to amass an army on Equestria and even with all my power, I was unable to stop her!" Celestia said.

"Nightmare Moon defeated you because she gained her power from the moon. Your power is based on the sun. If you can gain energy from there, you can use it to your advantage just as Nightmare Moon did with the moon," said Starswirl.

"Yes, you are right! But unfortunately, I haven't learned how to harness the power of the sun," said Celestia.

"WHAT?!" Starswirl shouted before he jumped onto Celestia's chest and grabbed her, utterly shocked.

"I'm sorry, master, but Equestria has just been so peaceful for so over a thousand years, I didn't feel the need to practice that many spells," said Celestia.

"Well then it looks like my teachings of you are not yet over," said Starswirl.

Time was of the essence. If Starswirl was to teach Celestia this new technique, he had to do it fast. It wouldn't be easy, but he knew it would probably be the only means of defeating Nightmare Moon.

* * *

Rarity was still in hot pursuit of Fluttershy with a wide assortment of new clothes for her to try, but could not find her anywhere. Suddenly, she bumped into Pinkie Pie.

"Oh! My apologies!" said Rarity.

"No problem. HEY! I love those outfits! They're quite...fashion-y!" said Pinkie.

"Oh, you tease me," said Rarity.

"No, if I were teasing you, I would say something like, those outfits are the ugliest things I've ever seen! I'd also say something like, where did you get the material to make those things? A garbage dump?! Or even something like, my grandmother wore something like those...back in 1834! That would be teasing," said Pinkie.

"Well, I never!" Rarity said, storming off in a huff.

"Was it something I said?" Pinkie said, scratching her head in confusion.

* * *

If Celestia was to learn how harness the power of the sun, she would first need to learn to be one with it; which is why Starswirl decided to have a picnic with his student.

"Um...master...shouldn't we be training?" Celestia asked.

"This IS training. You must learn to be one with the sun. Make it your friend, your companion, your ally, and don't be afraid of it," said Starswirl as he started making a sandwich.

"I'm not afraid of it," said Celestia.

"Good, then this will be much easier. Chicken?" Starswirl asked.

The queen kindly declined her master's offer. This was indeed a rather unorthodox method for which he was teaching her, but considering who he was and what he had done for her in the past, Celestia figured there must be a method to his madness. All the while slightly cringing as Starswirl got mustard on his face.

As the 'training' continued, Starswirl told Celestia to look up at the sun as he stuffed his face with potato salad. She covered her head due to the brightness but the heat never really bothered her, even on the hottest summer days. Starswirl asked her what she thought about when she saw the sun, but Celestia didn't really have an answer. It just seemed like a sun to her, nothing more, nothing less.

"I...I just don't know..." Celestia said growing frustrated.

"Maybe some rice pudding will help you think better?" asked Starswirl.

Celestia chuckled as she took a spoon and ate some of the rice pudding.

Starswirl then told her to look at her surroundings; specifically, the grass, the trees, and the plants; and asked her how they related to the sun. Celstia still didn't have an answer. Her mentor told her to look deep inside and she would know the answer. The queen looked at the sun and then everything else, trying to figure out what exactly one had to do with the other. Then, a thought came to her mind.

"Um...the sun helps the plants grow?" Celestia suggested.

"YES!" Starswirl said, accidentally getting apple in Celestia's face.

Indeed, the sun was responsible for bringing life to the planet. From the trees, to the plants, and everything else. The sun was basically the essence of life. In order for Celestia to become one with the sun, she would have to understand the value of life and nature. Only then would her true power be unleashed.

* * *

At the same time Starswirl was taking a bite out of his apple, Applebloom was about to take a first bite out of hers, only to be stopped by Applejack.

"Whoa whoa, hold it there, sugarplum! What have I told you about eating apples whole like that?! You could choke!" Applejack said, taking the apple out of Applebloom's hand.

"I won't choke!" said Applebloom.

But before she could say more, Applejack had already cut her apple into five tinier slices and then cut the five slices into even littler slices. Unaware of how much she had thoroughly embarrassed her little sister, Applejack gave her a kiss and a pat on the forehead and walked off.

Meanwhile, Rarity was still looking for Fluttershy, completely unaware a little girl waving at her.

The girl had white skin, and curly hair in two shades of purple. She called out to her, though Rarity failed to hear her, even passing right by her.

"Rarity! Rarity!" the girl called.

But still, Rarity didn't answer.

The girl's name was Sweetiebelle, Rarity's younger sister. She finally got her sister's attention after she tugged on her skirt.

"Oh, hello, Sweetiebelle. I uh...don't have time to talk right now," said Rarity.

"You never have time to talk!" Sweetiebelle said.

However, Rarity didn't pay her any attention and quickly rushed off to find Fluttershy, much to her sister's disappointment.

But Rarity wasn't the only one on the mind of a child. Another child just Sweetiebelle and Applebloom's age eyeballed Rainbow Dash who was balancing her soccer ball on her head.

She had orange skin and short, purple, spiky hair and she shivered with nervousness as she looked at Rainbow Dash. It felt like a giant frog was stuck in her throat.

Her name was Scootaloo and she had a great admiration for Rainbow Dash. She had been to virtually every one of her soccer games, basketball games, and football games. She had even once gotten in trouble for skipping class to see one of her games. However, she never actually got to talking to her. She had seen her many times in the cafeteria before, but she just couldn't muster up the courage to say anything to her.

But not today, today, Scootaloo would finally talk to her hero. She took a deep breath, walked over to the lunch table, took another deep breath, closed her eyes, and began talking.

"Hello, my name is Scootaloo. I just wanna say that I'm a big fan of yours and I've been one for a long time. I think you're really super cool and I would love the chance for us to hang out...if it's not to much trouble," Scootaloo said.

As she exhaled, she couldn't believe what she had just done. She had finally talked to her idol. Now all that was left was for het to wait for a response as she opened her eyes to see...the grey skinned, derpish girl.

"Muffin?" the girl said, offering Scootaloo a muffin.

The embarrassed Scootaloo just walked off, meeting Applebloom and Sweetiebelle at another table who were in equally not-so-good moods.

"Why do sisters gotta be so embarrassing? No matter how hard I try, Applejack still treats me like a baby," said Applebloom.

"At least your sister pays attention to you. When it comes to Rarity, it's like I'm not even there," said Sweetiebelle.

"At you two HAVE sisters. It would be so cool to have Rainbow Dash as a big sister," said Scootaloo.

Just then, the three looked across a table where two other kids were talking.

One was a grey skinned girl with grey hair with white stripe in the middle.

The other was a pink skinned girl with light purple hair with white in it and a small tiara.

The pink girl's name was Diamond Tiara and the grey girl next to her was Silver Spoon, her best friend.

Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetiebelle enviously looked on.

"Diamond Taira's so lucky. She doesn't have any annoying sisters like me. Must be nice livin' in that fancy man-si-yon of hers all be herself," said Applebloom.

"You mean 'mansion?'" asked Sweetiebelle.

"Yeah, one of those!" said Applebloom.

"She's just as cool and popular as Rainbow Dash. She wouldn't bother to give me the time of day," said Scootaloo.

"Or me, Rarity doesn't even notice me, so why would she?" said Sweetiebelle.

Being that Diamond Tiara was one of the most popular girls at Canterlot High, the three girls often wished what it would be like to be in her shoes.

* * *

It seemed as though Celestia had finally understood what her mentor was trying to show her and now she was ready to try her hand at mastering her powers. However, before she got started, Starswirl suggested she first try it with her boots off. He figured if she was to become one with nature, she would literally have to be 'one with nature.'

So following on his suggestion, Celestia took off her boots. The grass felt comfortable between her toes as she looked up to sky, breathing in the air as the wind gently blew on her face and the sun's light beamed on her face.

"Focus your energy. Be one with the sun. Hehe, that rhymed. Embrace the nature around you; the grass, the trees, the air, the wind. Let it all come to you," said Starswirl.

The queen closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and cleared her mind of all thoughts; all except what Starswirl had told her. She relaxed her body with her head to the sun.

"Nothing seems to be happening," said Celestia.

"Be patient and focus," said Starswirl.

Keeping her posture, Celestia kept her mind cleared and her body relaxed. Soon, she began to feel a warm energy coming into her body, making her stronger, much to Starswirl's delight. The energy was coming from the sun; she absorbed more and more into herself; she could feel the power radiating inside her. Suddenly, a flaming aura surrounded her. Starswirl could see that Celestia was tapping into her true potential.

However, as she absorbed more energy, she began to feel a strain on her body. It was as if gravity was pushing her down. Eventually, the energy was too much for her and she released it.

"That...nearly...exhausted...me..." Celestia said faintly.

"Yes, but you have shown that you have the ability to master this power. Keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it," said Starswirl.


End file.
